Marine Atlas: Maximizing Benefits for Solomon Islands

USES

FISHING IN THE DARK: OFFSHORE FISHERIES Offshore fisheries are an important resource for Solomon Islands in terms of income and economic development, as well as employment and local food. Knowledge of the distribution and amount of catch is crucial for the regional management required to ensure these fisheries are sustainable.

There are two different types of fisheries in Solomon Islands: those close to the shore (see also chapter “Small fish, big impor- tance”) and those offshore (see also chapter “Travellers or homebodies”). Tuna are the basis of important commer- cial fisheries for many island nations in the South-West Pacific. Typically four main species are taken: skipjack ( Katsuwonus pe- lamis ), albacore ( Thunnus alalunga ), bigeye

( Thunnus obesus ), and yellowfin ( Thunnus albacares ). The fisheries are managed by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Com- mission (WCPFC) and cover the entire west- ern Pacific Ocean to longitudes of 150°W in the North Pacific and 130°W in the South Pacific. Additionally, the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency and the Oceanic Fisheries Programme of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community provide support for fisheries management and research. Typical-

ly, there are 3,000–4,000 vessels operating each year, and the total tuna catch exceeds 2 million tons per year. Knowledge of the catch composition, amounts and distribu- tion is necessary to understand how best to balance the exploitation of such fishery resources with the conservation of stocks, and other values for the islands.

an important source of food for local small- scale fisheries and a major source of in- come for the country through foreign vessel licensing and fees for transhipments of tuna catch in Honiara. Tuna fisheries contribute SI$264 million to Solomon Islands’ econ- omy. Interestingly, inshore fisheries yield a higher amount with a total of SI$512 million per year (Arena, 2015). In addition to license fees, Solomon Islands is well known in the Pacific for its cans of processed tuna. SolTuna is the country’s only tuna processing facility, based in Noro in Western Province. The company employs over 1,800 workers, making it a significant private sector employer. Most of SolTu- na’s products are exported as tuna loins to the European Union, though the company also manufactures a substantial amount of canned tuna, which contributes to food security in Solomon Islands and the region. Tuna accounts for 90 per cent of the Solo- mon Islands’ marine exports. Commercial fisheries catch tuna in Solomon Islands using longline, pole-and-line and purse seine methods. Between 2001 and 2010, longline fishing was highly variable, with 0 to 113 vessels using this method each year. The total catch was about 17,000 tons over this period, comprising albacore (49 per cent), yellowfin (38 per cent) and big- eye (12 per cent) tuna. No longline vessels reported fishing between 2006 and 2009, at a time when the 2007 tsunami had affected the islands. Other billfish species caught by longline fishing include blue marlin ( Makai- ra nigricans ), black marlin ( Makaira indica ), striped marlin ( Kajikia audax ) and swordfish ( Xiphias gladius ). Pole-and-line fishing has much larger results, with 1 to 12 vessels operating per year between 2001 and 2008 (no vessels reported fishing in 2009 and

2010). During this period, the total catch was roughly 47,000 tones and was mainly skipjack (93 per cent) and yellowfin (7 per cent) tuna. Catch levels and fishing efforts have decreased in recent years. The largest tuna fishery is the purse seine fishery. Between 2001 and 2010 there were two to seven purse seine vessels in oper- ation each year, with the reported catch for the period totalling 83,000 tons of skipjack and 70,000 tons of yellowfin tuna. The catch of these two species is generally similar each year, though since 2010 they have in- creased by 56–76 per cent, with over 55,000 tons reported in 2016 (WCPFC, 2017). Most of the catch occurs in the northern part of the EEZ, particularly in the north-western areas off the islands of Choiseul, Santa Isabel and New Georgia, north of latitude Vessel Day Scheme Solomon Islands is part of the Nauru Agreement Concerning Cooperation in the Management of Fisheries of Common Interest. The eight signa- tories collectively control 25–30 per cent of the world’s tuna supply and approximately 60 per cent of the western and central Pacific tuna sup- ply. Part of the agreement is a Vessel Day Scheme that sets an overall total allowable effort (TAE) limit on the number of days fishing vessels can be licensed to fish in the respective EEZs per year. Each country is allo- cated a share of the TAE for use in its zone each year. This agreement has helped the signatories to increasingly keep the benefits of offshore fishing within their economies.

The only large-scale commercial fishery in Solomon Islands is for tuna. These fish are

TUNA CATCH (2001 - 2010) (metric tonnes) >0 - 300

300 - 500 500 - 750 750 - 1500

5°S

1500 - 2300 2300 - 5000 5000 - 40000

Solomon Islands Provisional EEZ Boundary

50

100

200 km

Sources : Becker et al, 2009; Claus et al, 2016; Sea Around Us, 2017; Smith and Sandwell, 1997; Williams, 2016. Copyright © MACBIO Map produced by GRID-Arendal

10°S

15°S

160°E

155°E

165°E

170°E

USES MAXIMIZING BENEFITS FOR SOLOMON ISLANDS

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